Cold Calling

Phone sales tips and a look at active listening for sales professionals

Noel Bouwmeester
LAST UPDATED
April 30, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.

Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) often hate cold calling as much as many recipients of those calls do.

However, armed with the proper methods and mindsets, selling over the phone can be both profitable and enjoyable.

In this article, we’ll share some tips on how to achieve that, and we’ll take a look at active listening and explain why it’s so crucial for phone sales.

7 phone sales tips 7️⃣

1. Fix your attitude

A major part of cold calling is learning how to deal with rejection.

With the right mindset, every rejection is but a step closer toward the next conversion. Not just mathematically, but you can also learn from every call and grow into a better SDR.

However, if you let rejection put you in a negative state of mind, then every rejection will actually force you a step backward.

Always remember:

  1. Most cold calls will not result in a sale
  2. You only control your actions, not those of your prospects

2. Call at the right time

An easy way to increase conversions and become a “better” SDR is by simply calling your prospects at the right time.

The right time to make your call depends on your industry, target audience, and their location.

However, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study shows that calling between 4 and 5 P.m. can increase conversions by as much as three times compared to other time slots.

In other words, you can boost your performance significantly by calling at the right time.

3. Research your prospects

Just as cold emailing without personalization is bound to fail, so is cold calling without researching your prospects first.

Prepare for each call by getting to know your prospect a little.

Check their social media accounts (particularly LinkedIn), do a Google search for their name, and see if you can find what their pain points are and how your product can solve them.

Just imagine you’re getting a call from an SDR and they immediately connect with you by mentioning some of the work issues you’re currently experiencing. This is what you’d call opening with a bang!

Compare such a personalized call with a generic sales call that has you mentally tune out and hang up the phone faster than Usain Bolt can run 20 meters.

4. Record your calls and improve

Some calls result in rejection simply because the prospect isn’t interested.

However, sometimes we do make mistakes.

By recording our cold calls, we can identify where we tend to slip up.

This allows us to become conscious of our mistakes and implement improvements for subsequent calls.

This is very similar to sports teams watching the video of a game and identifying areas for improvement for the next one.

The best part is the mental aspect of it.

As long as you keep learning from losses, you’ll still be winning

In short, a loss is never really a loss unless you don’t learn from it.

5. Ask questions

Asking questions is an invaluable tool in the SDR’s arsenal.

Instead of just firing words and phrases at your prospects, take the time to ask some questions and let them do the talking.

Not only does it show you’re interested in more than just making a sale, it also allows you to probe for valuable information that will

  1. Allow you to find hidden objections and address them
  2. Make you a better SDR by getting to know your prospects and the problems they’re experiencing

6. Summarize at the end of the call

From the moment your prospects pick up the call, they are bombarded with a lot of information about your product or service.

You can’t expect them to remember all the good things that you offer them.

At the end of the call, remind them of what they’ll get if they purchase.

Be concise and include the best benefits and features that your product offers.

7. Take frequent breaks throughout the day

Making cold calls requires a lot of energy.

It’s a reactive job that drains our powers more than other tasks.

You can lose conversions due to being tired.

To remain sharp, make sure that you take regular breaks.

But not just any break will do.

If you spend your breaks staring at your phone, you will not be refreshed when you return to cold calling.

Instead, step away from technology to give your brain the rest it deserves.

That way, you increase your chances of converting prospects into customers on your subsequent cold calls.

A look at active listening for sales professionals 👂

What is active listening?

Active listening is all about fully engaging and understanding the prospect’s words and needs during a sales conversation.

You must give your prospect your undivided attention and demonstrate a genuine interest in the information your prospect shares with you.

Active listening is an essential sales skill that helps you build rapport, gather valuable insight, and address the prospect’s needs and objections.

Here are three critical tips for active listening:

1. Avoid interruptions

The golden rule for active listening.

Think about it. It can’t be active listening if all you do is looking to get your own words in.

Besides, there’s a lot of valuable hidden information that your prospects are more than willing to share if you just let them speak!

2. Show empathy

Letting them speak is the first step.

The next one is to show empathy by acknowledging and validating your prospects’ concerns, frustrations, and other emotions they share with you.

Reflect their challenges back to them to show understanding and to build trust.

3. Respond thoughtfully

Active listening includes responding thoughtfully. Speaking on impulse is not active listening.

After your prospect has finished speaking, take a moment to respond mindfully.

Do not worry about allowing a moment of silence before responding, as this actually allows you to come up with superiorly empathetic answers.

As a bonus, it allows your prospect to add additional information to the conversation.

Key takeaways 🗝️

  • Your mindset determines your success. If you view mistakes as a vehicle for growth, nothing will stop you.
  • Selling over the phone is all about making it about your customer. You must be willing to help them first.
  • Active listening is the most essential skill for any SDR.
Get weekly outreach tips
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Thanks! You've successfully subscribed to lemlist newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
G2 Rating
Price
Best for
Standout feature
Con
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/mo
$75/mo
$2,999/mo
Large, distributed sales teams
AI evaluation precision, gamified KPIs
Lack of tracking system
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Sales operations and finance teams
Powerful configurability
Limited training resources and complex to navigate
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Mid-market and enterprise businesses
Comprehensive incentive management
Potentially high cost and steep learning curve
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$15/user/mo
$40/user/mo
Enterprise: custom price
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Collaborative teams
Connected planning
Complexity and steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with complex sales structures
Complex incentive compensation management (ICM) with high efficiency and accuracy
Complexity for smaller teams and potentially high costs
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts
Simplicity and ease of use
Lack of features like redirection
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$30/user/mo
$35/user/mo
Custom: upon request
Businesses that need a comprehensive and user-friendly sales compensation management software
Ease of use and adoption
Lack of ability to configure the product based on user needs
4.8
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights
A built-in dispute management and real-time visibility
Users say it works slowly, customer support is slow
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/user/mo
$50/user/mo
Smaller sales teams
Powerful automation
Lesser user base and average user interface
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with scalable needs
Automated Commission Calculations
Lack of filtering by date, no mobile app
ERP vs. CRM
ERP
CRM
Summary
Backbone of a business's internal operations.
Backbone of customer-centric interactions and operations.
Goal
To centralize and streamline core business processes in a company.
To increase customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty, and boost sales.
Focus
Internal operations and processes across departments (finance, accounting, inventory, supply chain, HR, and sales).
All interactions with leads and customers.
Manages
Internal business data like financial data, inventory levels, production details, supply chain, HR info.
All customer data like contact info, purchase history, communication history, customer preferences and more.
Users
Finance, accounting, operations, supply chain, and HR departments.
Customer-facing teams like sales, marketing, and customer service.
Benefits
Streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, enhances decision-making, boosts collaboration, increases productivity.
Improves customer relationships, increases sales, strengthens customer service, personalizes marketing campaigns, provides insights.
Price
$150 per user per year on average.
$10 to $30 per user per month on average.
PRM Tool
Rating
Feature
Pro
Con
Mobile App
Integrations
Free Plan
Pricing
4.65
star
star
star
star
star-half
Org-wide alignment
User-friendly layout and database
Suboptimal as a personal CRM
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-check
Team: $20/month
Business: $45/month
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Social Media Integration
Easy contact data collection
No marketing/sales features
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-xmark
7-day trial
$12/month
4.75
star
star
star
star
star-half
Block Functions
High customization capability
Not a dedicated CRM
square-check
Limited
square-check
Plus: €7.50/month
Business: €14/month
N/A
Open-source
Open-source flexibility
Requires extensive manual input
square-xmark
Limited
square-check
Self-hosted
$9/month or
$90/year
3.1
star
star
star
Simple iOS app
Ideal for non-tech-savvy users
iPhone only
square-check
iOS only
Limited
square-xmark
1-month trial
$1.49/month or
$14.99/month
3.6
star
star
star
star-half
Smart Contact Management
Feature-rich and flexible
Reported bugs
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
7-day trial
Premium: $13.99/month
Teams: $17.99/month
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Customizable Interface
Customizable for teamwork
Pricey for personal use
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
Standard: $24/member
Premium: $39/member
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Integrated Calling
Integrated Calling
Too sales-oriented & pricey
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
Startup: $59/user/month
Professional: $329/user/month
4.8
star
star
star
star
star
Business Card Scanning
Business Card Scanning
Mobile only
square-check
Limited
square-check
$9.99/month
4.45
star
star
star
star
star-half
160+ app integrations
Comprehensive integrations
No free app version
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
$29.90/month or
$24.90/month (billed annually)
Capterra Rating
Free Trial
Free Plan
Starting Price (excluding the free plan)
Maximum Price (for the most expensive plan)
Best for
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-check
€15/month/seat billed annually
€792/month/3 seats billed annually + €45/month for each extra seat
Versatility and free plan
4.2
star
star
star
star
square-check
30-day
square-xmark
But it offers reduced price to authorised nonprofit organisations
€25/user/month
€500/user/month billed annually (includes Einstein AI)
Best overall operational CRM
4.3
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-xmark
square-check
Limited to 3 users
Comprehensive incentive management
€52/user/month billed annually
Small-medium businesses and automation
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-xmark
€14/seat/month billed annually
€99/seat/month billed annually
Sales teams and ease of use
4.1
star
star
star
star
square-xmark
square-check
Limited 10 users
$9.99/user/month billed annually
$64.99/user/month billed annually
Free plan for very small teams up to 10
CRM goal
Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months.
SMART Breakdown
1. Specific: It targets a specific area (conversion rate) for a defined segment (qualified leads from marketing automation).
2. Measurable: The desired increase (10%) is a clear metric, and the timeframe (6 months) allows for progress tracking.
3. Achievable: A 10% increase is possible based on historical data and potential improvements.
4. Relevant: Boosting sales from marketing efforts aligns with overall business objectives.
5. Time-bound: The 6-month timeframe creates urgency and a clear target date.
Actions
Step 1: Refine lead qualification criteria to ensure high-quality leads are nurtured through marketing automation.
Step 2: Personalize marketing automation campaigns based on lead demographics, interests, and behavior.
Step 3: Develop targeted landing pages with clear calls to action for qualified leads.
Step 4: Implement lead scoring to prioritize high-potential leads for sales follow-up.
Step 5: Track and analyze campaign performance to identify areas for optimization.
Outcomes
Increased sales and revenue
Improved marketing automation ROI
Marketing and sales alignment
Data-driven marketing optimization
Table
CDP Software
CRM Software
Approach
Data-centric
Customer-centric
Focus
Interactions across various channels and touchpoints, both online and offline.
Sales, marketing, and customer service interactions.
Functionality
Automatically collects, organizes, tags, and makes data available in real-time.
Helps businesses track customer interactions, sales pipelines, prospects, and service requests.
Goals
Personalized customer experiences across all channels.
Better customer relationships, streamlined processes, and improved profitability.
Benefits
Data integration, management, and accessibility, allowing for detailed analysis and segmentation.
Better communication within teams and with customers by organizing information about customer interactions and history.
Data Handling
Handles both identified and anonymous data, stitches together various data points.
Deals primarily with identified customer data.
Use Cases
Personalized marketing campaigns, targeted advertising, content customization across multiple channels.
Managing campaigns and leads, enhancing customer service, providing better customer support, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Examples
Insider, Bloomreach, Salesforce Marketing Cloud CDP
HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, and Zoho CRM

What you should look at next

Receive weekly outreach tips in your inbox, sent to 210 000+ salespeople, marketers, founders, and entrepreneurs worldwide!

Subscribe to the lemlist newsletter
You've successfully subscribed to the lemlist newsletter!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.